A Witch Like No Other (12 page)

“
Magic left my
body for a split second,” said Dreamer sadly. “I lit up, Pandora
screamed because she knew what just happened, and Damon realised if
he kept stabbing me I’
d be
mortal for longer and longer-”

“
I told him to
stop,” sobbed Pandora, not caring if they heard. “I told him,
Marlon- I swear I told him not to hurt her- he
wouldn’
t listen-”

“
He
wouldn’
t listen,” Dreamer
repeated smoothly, holding up a hand to stop Ted from rushing to
their child. “He knew exactly what to do. He was so angry and hurt
for what I did and said, and I was livid about what he was doing to
Pandora, right under my nose. But I couldn
’
t defend myself anymore.
My… my last thought was to help my little girl.”

Pandora broke down, sobbing. Dreamer continued to talk as
if she couldn
’
t hear her child, and Ted had no choice but to
listen.

“
So I healed
her with the last ounce of magic I had left: I knew that was it. I
looked at my body, and I couldn’
t do a thing. I was mortal.”

“
And Damon?”
said Ted disgustedly. “What did he do?”

“
He stared at
me, then he screamed like a girl.” Dreamer laughed derisively. “He
realised what he just did, and he called an ambulance straight away
for me and Pandora.”

“
What happened
to Pandora?”

“
She passed
out,” Dreamer answered, Ted saying “And Damon…?”

“
Kept telling
me he loved me and he was sorry.” Dreamer laughed again. “He was
saying he loved me, he’
d make
it all better and he was sorry for what he did to Pandora. He kept
telling me to forgive him for everything…”

“
Dreamer,
I’
m sorry!” cried Damon,
grabbing her hand. “I
’
m sorry!”

She didn
’
t respond, though she was still conscious. Damon
squeezed her hand, saying “I love you so much, Dreamer! I love
you!”

“
P-Pandora-”

“
Her as well, I
shouldn’
t have done
it-”

“
H-how could
you, Damon?”

“
I’
ll make everything
better, I promise,” he wept. “I
’
m sorry,
Dreamer!”

“
S-sorry wont
exactly h-heal me now, w-will it?”

“
I know, but…
doesn’
t it make the situation
a little lighter?”

“
Don’
t,
Dreamer!”

“
Blasted evil
s-son of a-”

“
Stop it!” he
said, shaking her, making her cry out in pain.
“Dreamer?”

“
I thought you
loved me,” wept Damon, and Dreamer looked at him.

“
This is
i-ironic. There’
s an- an album
Marlon has…”

“
Called… Pain
is Love.”

“
You… you love
me and I’
m in s-so much pain.
Get the joke?”

Pandora
’
s scream made Damon jump as Dreamer
’
s eyes
closed.

“
You killed
her!”

“
Ambulance! Is
everything all right in there?”

“
Help us, help!
Mum, wake up,” sobbed Pandora. “Wake up!”

Dreamer didn
’
t respond.

Seconds later paramedics surrounded
Dreamer
’
s punctured body, some around Pandora. She was greatly
distressed. Damon couldn
’
t answer anything,
nothing at all. He stumbled into his bathroom, looking into the
mirror- only it was Dreamer staring back at him.

“
I’
ve got you right where
I want you, Damon Stile.”

Damon stared at her, mouth hanging open. Then he ran back
onto the landing to stare at Dreamer
’
s lifeless body, being
lifted onto a stretcher. She was unconscious. Heart racing, he ran
back into the bathroom.

“
You hurt my
child, Damon.”

“
You’
re going to die,” he
said miserably, not caring about Pandora. He
’
d stopped caring the
minute Dreamer
’
s lips touched his. “I murdered you!”

“
You think?”
she said sarcastically. “The police are waiting for
you.”

“
What should I
do?”

“
You’
ve no choice but to
let them arrest you: Pandora said it was you.”

“
That
little-”

“
Don’
t insult my
daughter!!”

Damon
’
s mouth snapped shut. Even though she was gone and this was
just some sort of magical hoax, he still thought Dreamer could hurt
him.

“
I could deny
everything, say it was a burglar.”

“
You think you
could live with it?” Dreamer asked icily. “Knowing you murdered
someone and got off free? Knowing you killed me?”

“
You killed our
baby,” said Damon, tears falling. “Our firstborn!”

“
I already have
a firstborn,” Dreamer said nastily. “And it
wasn’
t a baby, Damon. Just a
small group of cells. I practically starved myself hoping for a
miscarriage, did you know that? I
’
m a cruel Mummy,
aren
’
t
it?”

Damon stared at her, shocked. “You- you
’
re just angry right
now.”

“
I’
m having the time of my
life,” Dreamer answered. “Now, as I wait to be placed in another
realm, I can watch you suffer like you deserve to.”

There was a knock on the bathroom door:
Dreamer
’
s face dissolved. Damon stood staring at his stunned
reflection, merely nodding to every question the police asked him.
He didn
’
t try and bolt, or lie about anything. He let them handcuff
him without a fuss, revelling in Dreamer
’
s cruel words. He
actually thought he
’
d be safer in prison.

“
I must be nuts
to love that witch.”

“
She’
s dead,” his roommate
George muttered thickly from underneath him: for three years
he
’
d
had to endure Damon
’
s talk of Dreamer Black, every day and night for the
first year. Beating Damon every night wouldn
’
t stop him, but
reminding him she was gone would.

Yes, Dreamer was dead and gone. All because of his
uncontrollable rage, everything hitting him hard. She got rid of
his baby. She didn
’
t love him. She knew about what he
’
d been doing to Pandora.
She swore she
’
d kill him on the spot even. So maybe he was defending
himself…

Damon laughed and shook his head. It was hard coming out of
denial- it took two years and George to help him. He
wasn
’
t
defending himself, not when Dreamer wasn
’
t even looking at him,
when her back was turned towards him. Not when she was seeing to
her daughter.

“
She’
s dead, damn
it!”

“
I know,”
sighed Damon, closing his eyes. “I know.”

“
Dad?”

“
Come here,
‘
Dora.”

Pandora hesitated, then she stepped into the room. She felt
light headed just for a few seconds, then she carried on walking.
She knew it was her mother
’
s energy that made her
body feel weird, so she didn
’
t respond to the
sensation. Pandora made sure she sat on the carpet, away from her
father. Just because Dreamer was back it didn
’
t mean Pandora changed.
Ted realised that, because he asked “No goodnight hug?”

“
No.”

“
What did you
want to say, then?”

“
I um… I just
wanted to ask-”

“
Dad,” mumbled
Marlon, walking in. “We need to talk about all of this.”

“
Camel mouth
had a nightmare,” Pandora translated, trying not to laugh at
Ted’
s puzzled face.
“He
’
s
trying to cover it up.”

“
What if she
goes away again? Did you lot sort it out properly?”

“
So
we’
re a family again?” asked
Pandora, looking at Dreamer as well.

“
We was always
a family, whether your mother was here or not, ‘
Dora.”

“
I told James
everything,” Marlon told Ted. “If that’
s ok.”

“
Some people
must have known she was alive,” Pandora muttered as she put Shadow
down. “Come on, she was broadcasted all over the world.”

“
True.”

“
What did you
want to ask, Pandora?” Ted asked his daughter.

“
I… well, now
that Mum’
s back-”

“
Hey Mum,” said
Marlon softly. “Have a good sleep?”

“
Fine, darling.
Why aren’
t you in bed?” asked
Dreamer curiously, looking from him to Pandora and back, then at
the clock. “It
’
s almost-”

“
Five,” said
Ted quickly, and they smiled at him. He so wanted to be in
Dreamer’
s good books, but
there was something holding him back a little. Excusing himself, he
went downstairs.

The phone rang right next to Miriam
’
s head, making her jump.
Fumbling for her lamp, she turned it on and grabbed the phone
before it gave her a splitting headache. Swallowing to moisturise
her dry throat, she whispered “Hello?”

“
Miriam,
it’
s Ted.”

“
Ted?” she
said, not sure if she heard right. “Pandora’
s Ted?”

“
Yes. I needed
to talk to someone.”

“
Well why
don’
t you talk to your wife?”
she said coldly. “After all, she is back- why would you talk to me
when she
’
s in your life again?”

“
I know you
think she’
ll take us- I mean,
Pandora away from you again-”

“
Go
figure.”

“
But she wont this time, I
promise she wont. I wont let her.”

“
Do you forget
who your wife is, Ted? Or did the three years apart deflate your
brain?” Miriam asked in mock concern. “She’
s a witch, remember? And in the background,
I
’
ve
watched and listened to how she plays you like a puppet on a
string. I know so much about Dreamer, you
’
d be surprised. Maybe
she doesn
’
t even love you.” Then she covered her mouth. “Ted,
I
’
m
sorry. I didn
’
t mean it to come out like that-”